Tracking Crew Tickets and Inductions So Nobody Turns Up Unqualified

Crew ticket tracking means knowing, before you put anyone on a shift, that they hold every card, licence and induction that shift needs, and that none has expired or lapsed. That includes requirements without an expiry date, such as recency of traffic control work, and client site inductions that are easy to forget.

Many traffic control companies keep a spreadsheet of cards. The problem is that the spreadsheet usually tracks expiry dates only, and several important requirements do not have one. A worker can hold a valid card and still not be able to work your Monday shift. This guide shows what to track, how to set up a register and how an allocator uses it.

What to track for each worker

The NSW details reflect the fact that SafeWork NSW issues traffic control work training cards under the WHS Regulation 2025 (NSW), and an employer must not direct a worker to do traffic control work without the right card. Workers who have not done traffic control work for two years need refresher training. Our guide to the NSW traffic control ticket explains the card types, and our article on whether a traffic controller needs a white card covers that requirement.

The requirements that catch companies out

Recency, not expiry

Because current NSW cards have no expiry date, a spreadsheet sorted by expiry will never flag a worker who has been out of the industry for two years. Track the date of each worker's last traffic control shift. If your timesheets are digital, that date is already in your records; you just need to look at it.

Licence class

A controller who can drive the ute is not necessarily licensed to drive the TMA truck. Record the licence class, not just "licence: yes", and check it whenever someone is allocated as a driver.

Client and site inductions

Principal contractors often require their own site induction before a worker can enter the site. Some expire after a set period. If your allocator does not know who has done which induction, someone will be turned away at the gate.

Interstate work

A card from one state may not be recognised in another without extra steps. Our checklist on interstate traffic control qualification recognition explains what to check before sending crew across a border. For Queensland requirements, check with Transport and Main Roads.

Worked example: Monday's roster

Example scenario: on Thursday afternoon the allocator is building Monday's roster for a NSW company. One of the shifts is a lane closure on a principal contractor's project that requires a team leader, two controllers, a TMA with operator, and a project-specific site induction.

The allocator works through the register:

1. Team leader. The first-choice team leader holds the Traffic Controller and ITCP cards and the white card, and worked last week. They did the project induction a month ago. Allocated.
2. Controller A. Holds the cards and white card, worked yesterday, but has not done the project induction. The allocator checks with the principal contractor, who runs inductions online. The controller completes it on Friday and the allocator records the date. Allocated.
3. Controller B. First choice is a returning worker. The register shows their last traffic control shift was more than two years ago. They need refresher training before they can do traffic control work. The allocator picks another controller and books the returning worker into a refresher course with an RTO.
4. TMA operator. The register shows the operator's heavy-vehicle licence expires in ten days. Valid for Monday, but the allocator sends the operator a reminder and makes a note to check renewal before the following week's roster.
5. Fatigue check. The replacement controller finished a night shift on Sunday that ends at 4:00 am. The company's fatigue limits require a rest break before the next shift. The allocator moves them to a later shift and uses a different controller for Monday morning.

What went right: every gap was found on Thursday, when there was time to fix it. If the same checks had happened at 5:30 am on Monday, the job would have started short-staffed or late.

A ticket register template

Set up one row per worker per requirement. Columns to include:

1. Worker name and employee number.
2. Requirement (for example, Traffic Controller card, ITCP, white card, driver licence).
3. State or issuer.
4. Card or licence number.
5. Issue date.
6. Expiry or renewal date, if any.
7. Date of last traffic control work (for recency).
8. Licence class or level.
9. Copy sighted (yes or no) and who sighted it.
10. Reminder date.
11. Notes.

Set reminders well ahead of each expiry, so there is time to book a course or renewal before the worker drops off the roster. A reminder the day before is too late.

Onboarding a new starter: the sighting routine

Most register errors start on the first day. A simple routine for every new starter:

1. Ask for originals, not photos sent by text, of every card and licence.
2. Check the name matches across cards and licence.
3. Check the card type and level match the work you will roster them for.
4. For cards with no expiry, ask when they last did traffic control work and record the answer; check it against any references or previous employer details.
5. Record numbers, dates and licence class in the register, and who sighted the originals.
6. Take a copy only if you need one, and store it securely.
7. Complete your company induction and record the date.
8. Ask which client inductions they already hold, and with which client.

Do not roster the person until every step is done. It is much easier to wait a day than to send someone home from site.

What to do when a gap is found

Sometimes a gap only shows up on the morning: a team leader notices a controller's licence has expired, or the gate attendant will not accept an induction. When that happens:

1. Do not let the worker do the task they are not qualified for, even for a short time. An employer must not direct a worker to do traffic control work without the right card.
2. Tell the office immediately so the allocator can send a replacement.
3. Tell the client if the start time will be affected.
4. Find another task for the worker if one exists that they are qualified for, or send them home under your company's policy.
5. Record what happened and update the register.
6. Ask why the check at allocation missed it, and fix that step.

When to check, and who checks

Privacy and storage

Card and licence copies are personal information. Collect only what you need to show a worker is qualified, store it securely, limit who can see it and dispose of it when it is no longer needed. The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner has guidance on privacy obligations. Keep the register in one place rather than in several spreadsheets and email inboxes.

Common mistakes

• Tracking expiry dates only, and missing recency and inductions.
• "Licence: yes" instead of class and expiry.
• Checking on the morning, when it is too late to fix anything.
• Relying on workers to tell you when something expires.
• Several copies of the register, none of them up to date.
• No check that cards are carried on shift.
• Forgetting subcontracted labour. If you use another company's controllers to fill shifts, their tickets need checking too. Ask for the same details you record for your own crew before they are allocated.
• Not recording who checked. When a principal contractor or regulator asks how you know a worker was qualified, "the allocator looked" is weaker than a dated record of who sighted the card.

For how ticket checks fit into rostering generally, see our guide to rostering traffic controllers. For current card rules in NSW, check with SafeWork NSW.

Next steps

Add a "last traffic control shift" column and an induction column to your register this week, then run a report of anything due in the next two months. TrafWise tracks crew documents and ticket expiry alongside the allocation board, so gaps show up when you roster, not at the gate.